The meds like lexapro are anti-depressants that help some with anxiety in the long run. The meds like valium and xanax are for short term anxiety. The medication that has helped many of us with our twitching and has the side benefit of also being an anti-anxiety medication is clonazepam (Klonopin). I have been taking it now for two plus years and it really helps. There have been many discussions on this board about the long term use of this and other benzo-type meds and its really a personal choice (but one that should be made with your doctor's input). I take one or two 0.5 mg pills at night and it calms the twitching enough to let me sleep. My neurologist is not concerned with long term use and neither am I. I understand it does produce a dependency, but it does not create a craving or an addiction per se. If I don't take a dose for a couple of days, I don't feel like I have to have one or crave it.

By the way, if you choose to use lexapro and it turns out that it is expensive, change to celexa which is very cheap and has the same ingredients as lexapro does. Lexapro is a refined version of celexa. I have taken both and they do help with depression and some with anxiety.

Beta blockers have worked for me. I take them because of palpitations (caused by anxiety) but they have the side effect of steadying your hands. Far from becoming dependent on them, I now find I need them less frequently because they have done there job of calming my anxiety and broken that vicious cycle of bodily feedback.

thanks all for your replies, it really is a minefield out there regarding these meds..I think it is a matter of trying one and seeing how I get on, but it is so wonderful to be able to communicate with you great people who are going through the same experience.

I would like to try to get my anxiety down myself, if possible, without drugs but dont know if that is possible as I am getting a lot of limbs 'falling asleep' all night in bed, which wakes me up and also pain in knee and cramping!!! (ugh) not good, EMG didnt show any Ulnar nerve damage but yet I have pain in elbow and left pinkie and ring finger always fall asleep, can be both hands but mostly left hand. Anyone had this, but yet have clear EMG, neuro said it could be inflamed, if that is the case does it go with the course of BFS or do I need treatment, dont know if knee pain is something else or part of BFS aswell, may well ask my doctor about that, it seems more of a joint pain, but who knows

Thanks again for answers, support and prayersyou are a really great bunch

Hi Lilyrignt now i have quite a pain in my left part of the body and in the elbow (specifically along the nerve). I believe it is result of 4 days hard working and one lawn moving session I had strong muscle pain yesterday due to sitting in the awkward pose for hours and today even my lymph nodes on that side are a bit popped up (but that could last from some dreadful insect bite i gor two weeks ago).

for sure you woud need some mdes to keep you at least asleep. good sleep helps a lot.

on My own experience i think you should be careful what meds you take, everyone has side effects, sometimes they are more frustrating than your anxiety as this was my case. I donÂ´t think that ssri or snri have a positive effect on twitching..some people even twitch more. I would rather recommend you to treat your anxiety in different if itÂ´s possible and just take the way of medication if nothing else helps. This is just based on my own experience..

lilyjames wrote:thanks all for your replies, it really is a minefield out there regarding these meds..I think it is a matter of trying one and seeing how I get on, but it is so wonderful to be able to communicate with you great people who are going through the same experience.

I would like to try to get my anxiety down myself, if possible, without drugs but dont know if that is possible as I am getting a lot of limbs 'falling asleep' all night in bed, which wakes me up and also pain in knee and cramping!!! (ugh) not good, EMG didnt show any Ulnar nerve damage but yet I have pain in elbow and left pinkie and ring finger always fall asleep, can be both hands but mostly left hand. Anyone had this, but yet have clear EMG, neuro said it could be inflamed, if that is the case does it go with the course of BFS or do I need treatment, dont know if knee pain is something else or part of BFS aswell, may well ask my doctor about that, it seems more of a joint pain, but who knows

Thanks again for answers, support and prayersyou are a really great bunch

Lily, my whole problem started with a numb little finger on my left hand, followed by tingling in the little finger and index finger, then onto burning shoulder pain and, finally, burning leg pain and twitching. The nerve conduction studies didn't reveal anything; nor did the EMG. One neuro thinks I may have neck issues, but most of my pains are now resolved and all that is left is the twitching.

"EMG didnt show any Ulnar nerve damage but yet I have pain in elbow and left pinkie and ring finger always fall asleep, can be both hands but mostly left hand. Anyone had this, but yet have clear EMG, neuro said it could be inflamed"

I had the ulnar side of my hand fall asleep when I would lay down to sleep. It turns out it was probably do to trigger points behind my scapula (shoulder blade). My muscles were extremely tight in my upper back and the more tingling I had in my hands the tighter my muscles got in my upper back from the anxiety. I finally got on antidepressants which helped the pain and broke the cycle, then I was able to get massage and do massage on myself. I hardly get tingling in my hands now, but it has been 6 months since it started. When I did my EMG they said I had carpal tunnel, but the majority of my tingling was on the ulnar side. I am pretty sure I don't have carpal tunnel. Even if I have slight carpal tunnel it wasn't causing the ulnar side of my hand to tingle. The EMG showed nothing on my ulnar side. Check into trigger point therapy online. It could very well be your problem.